Cardiomyopathies: Evolution of pathogenesis concepts and potential for new therapies

Figure 3 Non-compaction cardiomyopathy in two patients[105]. A: Dilated cardiomyopathy in a 60-year-old man with new-onset congestive heart failure. Short-axis echocardiogram obtained in systole at the level of the left ventricle (LV) shows a two-layered myocardium with a noncompacted (red line) and com¬pacted (green line) layer along the lateral, inferior, and anterior walls and a maximal end-systolic NC: C ratio > 2; B: Symptoms of New York Heart Association Class III heart failure and severely reduced (≤ 35%) LV ejection fraction in a 35-year-old woman. Short-axis 2D SSFP cardiac magnetic resonance imaging obtained in end diastole shows thickening of the noncompacted layer of the LV myocardium, with an NC: C ratio of 2.9. The patient underwent subsequent implantable cardioverter-defibrillator placement for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death.